The present invention relates in general to a teaching method and apparatus adapted for developing the ability of individuals to express themselves creatively in their writing without procrastination and, more particularly, to a teaching method and apparatus adapted for stimulating in such individuals the creation of thoughts or concepts to be recorded for developing an outline therefrom to be used in the preparation of a writing on a selected topic.
As used herein, the term "writing" broadly refers to a composition, essay, article, poem, thesis, novel, short story, manuscript, or other such written material. As such, a writing is often considered to be a record of our language and plays a constant, vital role in our daily lives. Most individuals take the act of writing for granted as most individuals write each day, often, in the form of a simple list, note, or reminder to do something. Sometimes, however, the act of writing is more difficult where, for example, a composition, essay, or thesis is required. Regardless of the nature of the written material, one generally is unconscious of the process or act of writing and rarely considers how the skills were learned or the ease or difficulty with which such skills were mastered.
Such individuals, for example, elementary school children or students, are generally required to demonstrate two forms of skills in writing, i.e., creative writing and practical writing. Creative writing is usually described as stories and poems that flow from ideas and inspirations uniquely one's own, and in which the individual is motivated by an outside source such as a teacher to express one's feelings, thoughts, and emotions about a particular subject. In contrast, the term practical writing is often used to suggest more formal writing, done with a reader in mind, in which certain mechanical amentities are observed. Letters and reports are among the kinds of expository writing included in this category. It is obvious, of course, that practical writing needs creativity to bring it to life.
It can be appreciated that the act of writing has been a problem for most individuals in our society, whatever their education, educational level, or profession. In this regard, it is noted that the act of writing requires the ability to keep one idea in mind, to formulate the idea into words and appropriate syntax patterns, to plan the correct graphic form of each letter and word, to correctly manipulate the writing instrument to produce the letter shapes, to integrate complex eye-hand relationships, and to have sufficient visual and motor memory. As a consequence, such individuals often refrain from writing by becoming tense merely on hearing a writing assignment or who, in fact, withdraw from the educative process. The biggest obstacles to the act of writing, even when such individuals are motivated to write, are considered to be a fear of writing, weakness in writing skills, and in elementary school children a lack of background of experience for formulating ideas and feelings about themselves and the way they react to the world around them.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there is an unsolved need for a teaching method and apparatus which alleviates these noted obstacles and allows these individuals, such as elementary school children to express themselves creatively in their writing without procrastination.